Just like mock drafts, grading the picks immediately after the NFL Draft has become an annual analytical ritual. We won't really know for about five years which teams aced the test in 2012, so to be fair in the short term, it's necessary to grade on a curve.

The league's most talented, championship-contending franchises were looking a few immediate contributors while stockpiling talent for a few years down the line. The league's have-nots were attempting to play catch-up with a massive makeover, hoping it won't take more than a few years.